Student Government is working to make changes to the Haunted Hillsborough Hike this year with the inclusion of a charity event, according to Andrew Tucker, a senior in political science.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to coordinate a philanthropy event,” he said.
Spook Hunger is the named of the proposed canned food drive that would be a part of this year’s Haunted Hike, the celebration in which students travel up Hillsborough businesses on Halloween, he said.
The program is in its planning stages, Tucker said, but Spook Hunger could allow students who bring canned food to Hillsborough Street establishments a chance at discounts on food.
Alan Lovette, owner of Melvin’s Hamburgers and one of the creators of the Haunted Hike, said there will also be other options this year for families who want to celebrate Halloween.
“As it gets dusk, until about 9 [p.m.], we’re having Halloween for the younger kids too,” he said. “It’ll be good for Hillsborough Street in general, for the residential neighborhood and then the students later in the evening.”
In the Chancellor’s Liaison Meeting Wednesday, Student Body President Jay Dawkins talked about expanding the Haunted Hillsborough Hike while providing options for students other than drinking.
“It’s to redirect the event on Hillsborough Street,” Dawkins, a senior in civil engineering, said. “Obviously it’s going to keep growing. This event will continue to grow and we can make sure students have a great time and give back to the community while doing it.”
Lovette said a way to keep Hillsborough Street safer for people celebrating on Halloween is to keep the street open.
“Instead of closing the street for all the students to congregate in one area, we as responsible business owners are inviting students to come into each business as they come into the street,” he said.
This way, business owners will be closer to the patrons instead of having as many people walking through the streets, he said.
Hillsborough venders are also considering a wristband system to avoid having ID checks at each business down the street, Lovette said.
By giving students of drinking age a wristband, Lovette said people will not be in as long of lines out of establishments.
Last year, about 5,000 people came to the Haunted Hike, and Lovette said it has room to grow.
“We can probably easily accommodate 10,000, but if it gets much bigger than that, we’re going to have to reorganize,” he said.
Despite higher attendance numbers, Lovette said students were well-behaved at last year’s event.
“We had no problems,” he said. “It was an exciting event and I’ve hosted high school events that were worse than this. These college students are more mature than people give them credit for.”
It is good for more people to attend, he said, because events like the Hike are essential for Hillsborough Street’s success.
“It’s a shot in the arm for Hillsborough Street,” he said. “We need several events like this to get through summer and holidays and times when students aren’t around. Hillsborough Street’s been dead for 15 years and this is just a good opportunity to bring it back alive.”